Consortium to take Synthetic Biology to Next Level

Researchers from Imperial College London (ICL) are leading a £5 million consortium to take the next step in industrialising synthetic biology, so that researchers can create microscopic biological devices using bioparts from DNA and host cells like bacteria or yeast. Working at an industrial scale will help unlock the commercial potential of these minute devices, which can be used for a range of applications including the production of chemicals, materials, biosensors and biofuels.

Professor Richard Kitney co-leader of the consortium and co-director of the Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation at ICL said:
“This project will create a new kind of industrial revolution in the UK taking synthetic biology from the lab bench to the factory floor, where industries of the future can create microscopic devices in a safe and controlled way to create new sources of energy or new kinds of medical devices.”

Professor Paul Freemont also co-leading the consortium and a co-director of the Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation added
“Mass producing these biological devices and systems could create a range of new industries for the UK. Already, start-ups on the drawing board include a company that will produce microscopic biosensors in hospitals for detecting MRSA and urinary infections. In the long term, we hope to create bio-factories that use engineered biological systems to turn landfill into carbon negative energy sources. We believe this project could unleash the potential of synthetic biology and turn it into a real success story for UK Plc.”

The vision for the project is to create a factory assembly-line process where an engineer can select from a vast virtual catalogue of bioparts to design devices and assemble these devices using robots.

Researchers currently do not have one central database that catalogues the range and methods for constructing bioparts, so the project team have started the first stage of the project developing a “virtual catalogue” to help synthetic biologists around the world to share information about the design and construction of bioparts. Sharing information more widely will mean that the construction of bioparts will become more robust and reliable. The database is part of a web-based information system, called SynBIS that is expected to be completed this summer.